The Gift
by Joy Blue
Summary: For Ichigo Kurosaki, this is as normal as things will get. Sequel to On the 7th Day


The Gift

Standard Disclaimers Apply

Rating: M

Spoilers: Up to HM is fair game

Much, much thanks to ED, for being an excellent beta-reader!

The Gift

Today, Ichigo was supposed to celebrate his 17th birthday with Orihime, his girlfriend.

Well, okay, so it wasn't like he _asked _her to be his girlfriend, but their classmates acknowledged that they were now an 'item', much to the delight of the many girls in school, who now hoped to have a chance with the boys since Orihime was taken, and to the annoyances of the boys, who now had no chance with Orihime.

Not that they had any to begin with.

Orihime promised him a day to remember, and, as Ichigo sat in a jail cell, caked in mud, he had to hand it to her; Orihime did give him a day to remember.

"Orihime?"

His girlfriend sat next to him, also caked in mud. Her long hair was tied in a messy bun, and her pins were covered with mud as well. She didn't look at him and continued to stare at the floor despondently.

"Today…today was supposed to be a good day, this wasn't supposed to happen."

Her voice lacked the usual cheer. He suddenly felt guilty for putting her in this position.

There were four other people sharing the cell with Ichigo and Orihime, all of them also waiting to be picked up by their parents. He looked at the cell next to them and glared at the three idiots, also caked in mud, who sat there with big smirks on their faces.

_Just one minute, all I need is one minute to tear them apart._

Ichigo suppressed his hollow's thoughts and concentrated on Orihime instead.

"How's your arm?"

"It's okay. It doesn't hurt," she replied and this time, she turned to look at him.

Ichigo could just feel himself getting lost in her eyes.

"I'm really sorry, Ichigo-kun."

"It's not your fault, Orihime."

_True, it's not Hime-chan's fault. It's those pigs in the next cell over that are to blame._

And with that accusation in his mind, Ichigo's thoughts drifted back to the morning where it all began, a few hours ago.

-///-///-

Ichigo stood outside the amusement park, unable to believe where he and his lovely date were about to go. He turned to look at Orihime, who was wearing the _exact_ same thing he was. Dark blue denim jeans and a long sleeved olive shirt, which were gifts from Yuzu and Karin. When he saw what Orihime was wearing, she grinned and said that it was his father that brought her the outfit.

She took him by surprise by stating that ­_she_ asked _his _father's permission to take him out for the day.

So now, he looked at the amusement park with slight trepidation.

"Orihime, what are we doing here?"

"It's my gift to you, Ichigo-kun! A whole day at the amusement park."

"Orihime, you shouldn't have."

The human beauty shrugged and began to pull her beloved boyfriend towards the entrance.

"Yamada-san sent me the cheque for appearing in his video," Orihime explained. "He said there would be more, depending on how the video is distributed overseas."

Ichigo tried not to look smug when he heard that _Hiko-kun_ got demoted to _Yamada-san._

"How much did you get paid anyway?" he asked as they placed the ticket in the ticket machine.

Orihime whispered the answer to him, and Ichigo nearly tripped.

"You got paid _that much_?"

"Uh-huh," she smiled. "So, I thought I'd treat you for your birthday!"

Ichigo felt touched that Orihime would spend anything on him, especially since they were still both new to this thing…

_Relationship. It's called relationship, your Majesty. Say it with me, _re-la-tion-ship

Ichigo would've liked to punch his hollow, but he was easily distracted when Orihime's soft hands tugged on his arms and pulled him towards the booths. He had never liked amusement parks, and would liked to have spent his day anywhere else, but seeing the girl of his dreams so happy and excited was enough for him to put aside his personal opinions and deal.

While traveling around the amusement park, Orihime insisted on paying for everything, and it got to the point that they had to compete at who was going to pay for what.

The man who was in charge of the ferris wheel thought they were adorable and let them in for free with a wink.

"Isn't this exciting, Ichigo-kun?" Orihime exclaimed with a wide grin in Ichigo's direction.

"I'd be excited too if I was going to get on with _you_, Babe."

Ichigo's body tensed as he looked behind him to saw three guys leering at Orihime. The one who looked most like he'd be the 'leader' was the one who'd spoken. Ichigo ignored them, but not without giving them a warning look and got inside the cable with Orihime. He noticed her uneasiness when the 'leader', a guy with spiky hair, wolf whistled and winked at her.

As they were lifted up in the air, Orihime let out a deep, relieved breath and gave him a smile.

"We can see the whole park from here, Ichigo-kun!" 

He pushed the three idiots out of his mind and tried to enjoy the ferris wheel ride. It didn't take long for him to genuinely enjoy the ride, the feeling of being up in the air and slowly being pulled down, with the girl he adored more then all else by his side.

Orihime pointed at everything she wanted to try next while they were up in the air, closing her eyes and squealing every time they were going down. Ichigo didn't mind. After all that they'd been through, they deserved to have a break, especially Orihime.

Once they got down to the ground, Orihime didn't waste any time and pulled him to the candyfloss booth.

"Ichigo-kun, do you want one?"

Ichigo shook his head but paid the vendor for one and handed the pink concoction to Orihime.

"Ichigo-kun! I'm supposed to be treating you!"

"Hey, you can just treat me anyway you want to, Babe."

Orihime and Ichigo turned to see the same spiky haired guy from the line at the ferris wheel. He gave Orihime another wolf whistle, and she cringed at his smirk.

"Name's Mikado. You're Orihime Inoue aren't you? From Vega's video?"

Orihime nodded, and Mikado rubbed his hands in glee.

"You looked good in that video, Babe. Know what else you would look good in?"

"Buzz off, she's not interested," Ichigo snapped as he stepped in front of Orihime, taking her out of Mikado's sight.

"Let's go, Ichigo-kun," Orihime whispered behind him, trying to pull him away.

"Strawberry? Your name is _Strawberry_?"

"Ichigo-kun!" Orihime whispered more urgently as she felt his control on his temper slipping away.

Mikado continued to smirk and watched the hot girl try to pull her boyfriend away.

"Shouldn't you have died your hair pink instead, Strawberry-chan?"

_Come on, Ichigo. You know you want to snap his head off that pathetic neck._

Ichigo was inclined to agree with his hollow, until Orihime held his hands.

"Ichigo, don't. Please."

He turned to see Orihime's concerned eyes, and he slowly nodded. He squeezed her hands and walked away. He wanted to beat Mikado to a bloody pulp, but he knew Orihime would be upset and that she would never want him to get into a fight, even if it was for her sake.

Behind them, Mikado and his friends booed and tried to get Ichigo's attention but to no avail.

"What are you going to do now, Boss?" one of the trio asked.

Mikado grinned at his crony, Makoto.

"We are going to have some fun."

The three of them snickered as they walked away, quietly formulating a plan.

-0-0-

All in all, the day got better.

It was Orihime that made his day enjoyable. It was seeing her laugh as she enjoyed the rides and claimed the prizes he had won for her in the many game booths. They walked out of the amusement park, with the jester hats she'd brought for them. Orihime carried one gigantic orange teddy bear, while Ichigo carried some gift bags for his sisters.

As they waited for the bus, Ichigo felt his hollow stir inside him.

_Can you feel them, King? Can you feel what they want with our Hime-chan?_

"Looks like we're here just in time, Strawberry-chan."

Rain drops started to fall as Orihime and Ichigo turned to see Mikado and his gang walk closer with baseball bats and knuckle dusters.

Ichigo smirked, and his hollow rejoiced knowing that this time, he wasn't going to back down.

"Don't be scared, Hime-chan. I'm not going to get hurt."

Orihime froze. He never called her Hime-chan. His voice became deeper and more feral. She knew in this instant that Ichigo was going to fight, no matter what the consequences were.

Ichigo dropped the gift bags to the ground, slowly took the jester hat off, and grinned, a hint of his hidden sadistic nature showing. He stepped out of the rain and folded his arms across his chest.

"What are you waiting for, punk?" he asked, his voice mocking.

Mikado grinned. The boy had finally accepted his challenge. He tightened his hold on the baseball bat and ran towards the boy, ready to deliver the first blow. To his shocked surprise, he felt himself get punched in the stomach. He fell to his knees to the ground and clutched his stomach in pain.

Ichigo clutched Mikado's hair and bent down to whisper in his ear, "Did you really think I'd let you touch her?" His words were low, clearly meant to be heard by Mikado alone. "She's _mine_."

Ichigo slammed his knee against Mikado's head, causing the other man to spit out blood.

"Kisama, you'll pay for that!" Mikado screamed in rage, motioning for his gang to attack Ichigo all at once.

Orihime stood under the shelter of the bus stop. She watched helplessly as Ichigo taunted his opponents. He wasn't taking this fight seriously; he was playing with his enemies, pretending to leave himself open to attack, only to move at the very last second.

The rain fell heavier, and Orihime knew she could no longer stand by and watch the fight.

"Ichigo, stop!"

Seeing her, one of the gang members tried to attack her instead, but was surprised when Orihime blocked his fists and threw a punch at him.

"Ichigo!"

She avoided another punch and the third time she called his name, Ichigo looked at her, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Hime-chan!"

She was so distracted when she saw the yellow gleam in his eyes that she was practically hurled to the ground with one slap by one of Mikado's men. She quickly wiped the mud from her face and was startled when she was yanked from the ground. Remembering Tatsuki's instructions, she kicked the guy in the shin and threw him across her shoulders.

Behind her, she felt Ichigo's reiatsu in full strength and turned around just in time to stop Ichigo from attacking the one that hit her.

"Stop! Ichigo, please, you're too strong for them!" 

"Damn right, I am!"

His answer was practically a snarl as he turned back to Mikado, who was on the ground with the rest of his gang.

"Thought you wanted to play?"

Mikado looked at Ichigo with eyes full of hatred. He pulled out something from his pocket and, with the flick of a wrist, his knife opened.

"You're gonna pay for this, you bastard." 

Ichigo pushed Orihime to the ground and charged at Mikado with a roar. She winced in pain at the impact, and her eyes widened in shock as Ichigo held Mikado by the neck.

Forgetting her own pain, she quickly stood up and ran towards Ichigo.

"Ichigo, put him down! Please!"

"Why?"

His voice held nothing but animalistic contempt as he squeezed tighter.

"Because it's wrong. What you are doing is wrong. You've already won, Ichigo."

When he didn't answer, Orihime touched his face and gently turned it to face her.

"It's over, please let him go."

Seeing the look of concern on her face, Ichigo felt his thirst for fighting slowly drain away.

"Orihime?"

He looked at her in surprise, and his eyes returned to its normal shade of brown.

The rain still continued to fall, and Ichigo released Mikado, who fell to the ground in a graceless heap. He coughed and tried to breathe, rubbing his abused neck.

"Let's go home, Ichigo."

He nodded and relaxed, and that one second was all Mikado needed to stand up and try to use all his remaining strength to punch Ichigo to the ground.

Ichigo couldn't explain the hazy state that he was in, and it was the advantage that Mikado needed to send him face first to the ground. The mud from the ground covered his face, and he wiped it just in time to see Orihime use a right hook to send Mikado back down.

Orihime cradled her fist and turned her attention to Ichigo.

"Ichigo-kun, are you alright?"

"Orihime, I'm fine."

The rain fell harder and Orihime bent down and wiped more mud away from his face. Around them, Mikado and his gang lay on the ground, unable to move. They were both shivering from the cold and he couldn't explain what he was thinking when he reached out to touch her face and drew it closer to his.

"Ichigo-kun?"

Their lips were about to touch when a loud whistle broke the spell they were under and watched as the police walked towards them and hauled them up.

"Ouch!"

Hearing Orihime cry in pain, Ichigo was about to retaliate, but she grabbed his hands quickly and held them in her own, squeezing them gently to reassure him. He ignored his hollow's cry for a new fight and allowed the police to escort them inside the police car.

---

And that was how they ended up in this cell.

Ichigo was thankful that in her muddied state, they couldn't recognize Orihime. He didn't care what other people thought of him, but he would never want Orihime's reputation to be tainted because of him. The policeman explained to them that a concerned citizen called the police because of the fight. Since they were both considered participants in the fight, they were to be placed in a cell until an adult picked them up. It was the only way for them to get home, and Ichigo was surprised that his father didn't ask any questions when Ichigo called home and asked if Isshin could come and pick Orihime and himself up from the police station.

What made the situation worse was Mikado and his gang were in the other cell, still trying to pick a fight with Ichigo. Orihime's hands in his were the only reason he had not taken the bait.

"Kurosaki, your father is here."

Their cell was opened the same time as Mikado and his gang were released. Mikado looked at them with a sneer and walked away.

Ichigo and Orihime watched as Isshin stared at Mikado for a second before glancing back to his son and Orihime. He didn't say anything as he spoke with the police officer, signed some papers, and motioned for them to follow him outside.

Once they got out of the station, Isshin sighed.

"Orihime-chan, when you told me you were going to give my son a good time, this wasn't what I had in mind."

Ichigo and Isshin looked in shock at Orihime when she burst into tears.

"I was kidding, Orihime-chan!" Isshin said frantically, panicking even more as Orihime cried harder. "Please forgive your senseless, future father-in-law! I just wanted to make a joke to lighten up the situation!"

Ichigo tried to control his temper when his father began to cry as well.

"Stop it, you're making it worse, Oyaji!"

Isshin wiped his tears and bowed before Orihime.

"I'm so sorry, Orihime-chan!"

Orihime shook her head.

"No, it's not that! I wanted to give Ichigo-kun a good time! I wanted him to have a normal, fun day without any fighting, without worrying about hollows or Shinigami duties…" her words were soft, and Ichigo was surprised by what she said. The beauty looked at her boyfriend and gave him a small, teary smile. "That's why I wanted to take you to the amusement park, Ichigo-kun. So you could have fun all day. Even if it was just once, you could have one day when you're just you: Ichigo Kurosaki, a normal high school student." Her voice shook, and her cries turned into quiet sobs. "Instead, I got you in trouble, your sisters' gifts are now dirty, and I never gave you a normal day. That was supposed to be my gift to you! I'm so sorry, Ichigo-kun!"

Ichigo was touched at Orihime's revelation. He didn't pay attention to his father as Isshin calmly walked away to give them privacy. He focused his attention on Orihime, who took a few deep breaths to calm herself and wiped the last remainder of her tears.

Ichigo sighed as he pulled Orihime in a light embrace, the closest body contact they'd ever had. He felt her arms creep around his as she returned his embrace, and he held her tighter. Neither cared that they were covered in mud or that passerby-ers were given them strange looks.

"Thank you, Orihime. I did enjoy today. I don't remember having so much fun since I became a Shinigami," he laughed. "Being with you was what made this day fun." He moved away so he could look into her eyes. "This is the best gift anyone could have ever given me. Thank you."

Not far from where they stood, Isshin looked at them with a smile. Ahh, the beauty of innocence. His thoughts darkened when he remembered the youths that were in the other cell earlier. He wasn't stupid. He could take a guess on what happened. He walked closer to them and coughed to get their attention.

"I should take you both home. It's getting late. Orihime-chan, why don't you stay with us for tea?"

Orihime nodded and a cheerful smile returned to her lips when Isshin winked at her.

The ride home was quiet, but Isshin couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong with Ichigo. He looked the same, his reiatsu was under good control, but there was something else. Something not quite right…

He pushed that thought aside. Today was his son's birthday, and Orihime was correct. The best gift they could give him was allowing him to be normal, even for a day.

They got out of the car, and Isshin waved away Orihime's apology for the now muddied seats. The house was dark, and Ichigo wondered why his sisters were sleeping so early.

"SURPRISE!"

He looked in shock at the people around the living room, who were all wearing party hats. Tatsuki, Keigo, Chad, even Ishida were there, along with many others from Soul Society.

They stood in a kind of frozen silence as they gazed in shock back at the muddied state of him and Orihime.

The moment didn't last long as Yuzu began to pull him inside, insisting that he and Orihime have a bath, and promptly turned red when the crowd cheered.

"I meant separately!" the younger twin cried, and Karin just smirked and teased her sister about having a dirty mind.

After getting cleaned up, the party began with the crowd singing to the birthday boy while he stood over his strawberry and chocolate covered birthday cake. Ichigo winced at the off-key rendition of "Happy Birthday," but he knew he wouldn't have it any other way as he made a wish before he blew the candles on his cake.

During the party, Toushirou adamantly refused to join the people playing Dance Dance Revolution until Momo tried to play it with Keigo. Ichigo looked around his family and friends and felt blessed, especially when his eyes rested on Orihime, who was being shown by Yuzu how to make sorbet in the kitchen.

"How was your day?"

He turned to see Rukia, who watched him with guarded eyes.

"You felt it?"

Rukia nodded.

"Only for a second. You've improved with your reiatsu control. I was surprised to feel it at all. Almost like a burst or explosion. It quickly disappeared, so at least you know how to rein it back in smoothly."

They friends watched as Rangiku teased Toushirou for loosing to Momo in DDR.

The raven-haired Shinigami sighed. Business could wait. She shook her head, knowing she was getting too soft, being surrounded by all these humans. She handed Ichigo a gift wrapped item.

"This is from Renji and I. We thought you could use it."

"Thanks, Rukia. You guys shouldn't have."

"Believe me, Ichigo. We should have!"

Rukia's sly smirk should have raised alarm bells in Ichigo's head when he began to unwrap the present, and he nearly fell to the ground when he saw the book he was holding.

"Icha-Icha Paradise Special?!"

"Ichigo!" Orihime's innocent voice called out from behind him. "Rukia said you wanted to show me what she and Renji got for you!"

Ichigo quickly hid the book from Orihime's view and tried not to blush when she stood next to him.

"Maybe later?"

Orihime nodded and accepted his answer.

"Were you surprised about the party?"

"I was. I didn't notice any reiatsu at all."

"Really? I wasn't sure if it was going to work, but Hacchi-san taught me a few tricks!"

"Hacchi-san?"

"Uh-huh! I knew it was going to be hard throwing a surprise party for you, so I asked Isshin-san if I could take you out so you wouldn't be at home when the others get here. Just before we left, I put a special barrier around the clinic so you wouldn't feel any reiatsu!"

As Orihime went on giving him a few more details on what she and his friends did, he felt more grateful that they all went so far to give him a normal day. Especially Orihime.

He quickly held her hands in his, and Orihime stopped talking. She looked at him, her head tilted to the side in slight confusion at his downcast face.

"Ichigo-kun?"

"I'm sorry. I know I was the reason your arm is hurt."

Orihime sighed as she tightened her hands in his.

"I told you, Ichigo-kun. I'm fine. It's okay. You never have to apologize to me."

He looked back at his family and friends then to Orihime.

"I really appreciate what you and everybody else did today, Orihime," his said, his face happy again.

Orihime blushed at the soft tone in his voice, and she grinned.

"Happy Birthday, Ichigo-kun."

The couple turned their attention to the party, and Ichigo knew that his real gift was the people that loved him, especially the girl besides him.


End file.
